At the first sign of spring I start thinking of planting the garden, normally false spring is in February. The temps will rise to about 60 degrees for a few days the grass turns a little green and the trees start to bud. We like to grow our own vegetables, it gives us the reality of being able to feed ourselves for a good part of the year. During the summer we live on Tomato sandwiches, cucumber salads and green beans, plus a bunch of other stuff.
 |
| Not my garden, I hijacked this photo. |
I raise worms mostly to use the castings as "home made" fertilizer and add to the planting compost, which is in the "cold" compost bin. (more on that in a later blog). I prepare my worm castings by watching the bed beginning in the middle of February, the worms have to move from one section to another in the farm. I like to wait until all of the bedding and food have been eaten leaving behind pure castings. They have to be cured, mostly it means drying out a little bit. They must be kept in a container that allows air flow, we don't want it to become anaerobic, or cured without air. The oxygen allows the good bugs to thrive and the bad ones to not develop. If your castings stink, they went anaerobic, think possible pathogens. That is bad news on your vegetables. Castings should smell like dirt.
When I plant, I mix a 50/50 blend of potting soil (compost) and castings. When planting I dig a hole in the garden large enough for the root ball plus 1" all around. I place a scoop of the mixture in the bottom of the hole, put the plant in, then fill around it. I then water deeply and move along to the next spot. One other thing rather than watering is the first watering be done with "worm tea". That is when the castings are in a paint strainer or old nylon stocking, tied tightly and placed in a bucket of water for 24 hours while air is bubbling. If this could be compared to a commercial product it would be like a nitrogen rich synthetic. However because this is organic the difference is that a greater amount can be put on the plants without the fear of "burning" them. Sprinkled on the leaves the worm tea helps the blossoms stay on the plants and encourages the natural abilities of the plants to ward off diseases. The downside is, only sprinkle it on the leaves before the blossoms form and never when fruit is on (it is actually manure so wear gloves). One gallon of the fertilizer can be diluted to make 10 gallons, it goes a long way. It does wonders on a lawn as well. Check out worm farming here.
 |
| Farming worms is rewarding, they are well behaved and clean but won't chase sticks. |
Anyway I did plant onions, garlic and potato's about 2 weeks ago, the onions and garlic are coming up already. The potato's will come in about two weeks, or when the soil warms just a little bit more. The remainder of the planting will be done around the first of April, It's hard to hold off that long but it's impossible to change the weather enough to ensure the plants won't freeze. I've done that many times, the impatience of being young I guess. I'm no longer able to blame being young for my mistakes in life, I'm old enough that I should have learned a long time ago.
We'll have onions and garlic in about 60 days from now, that will be enough for the summer, about 30 pounds of onions and 25 garlic bulbs. After the tomato's ripen we'll be making salsa from the garden, that's an enjoyable project, grow a salsa garden. Tomato,Jalapeno, garlic and onion, that's all, and boy is it good.
If you don't garden, give it a try, it's a good skill to put in your survival "kit". A person has to be a little eccentric to raise worms, but it is as well a really interesting hobby.
Tell us about your garden or a recipe for garden vegetables. If you raise worms, tell us about it.
Thanks for reading jimandkate
No comments:
Post a Comment